The delivery of radio and television programming by way of terrestrial, satellite, or cable signals to an audio/video receiver or set-top box located in the typical home now provides users access to an unprecedented amount of entertainment, news, weather, and sports programming. Further, by employing multiple such receivers in a home or similar structure, access to this programming is enhanced by allowing use of the programming in any room which provides such a receiver in conjunction with an output device, such as a television or video monitor.
Typically, each deployed receiver or set-top box also receives a significant amount of data related to the broadcast programming. One example of this data is the event information associated with the electronic program guide (EPG), which typically is available to the user of the receiver by way of a special button provided on a remote control device accompanying the receiver. Normally, the EPG provides information relating to the individual programs available via the receiver, including, for example, the title of the program, a short synopsis of the content, the particular dates and times the program is to be broadcast, and similar information.
Other data related to the programming may be generated within each receiver. One typical example of such data is the recording settings associated with a data storage device, such as a digital video recorder (DVR), incorporated into the receiver for recording programs. These settings often include an identification of the program to be recorded, and the start time and length of the recording, for each program being recorded. The DVR may also allow the setting of various recording options, such as the recording of each episode of a television series, first-run episodes only, and other recording parameters.